


flights of fancy

by MollyRenata



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Canon Parallel, Developing Relationship, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, I Don't Know Why I Like This Ship Okay, Implied Relationship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, No Dialogue, Spoilers, unusual friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 22:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyRenata/pseuds/MollyRenata
Summary: Fighting as a soldier of the Deliverance allows one to meet all sorts of colorful people. Silque takes particular interest in a certain mage...





	flights of fancy

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I would like to issue a formal apology for this. I started considering the ship as a joke, but then started seriously shipping it. Whoops.
> 
> They don't interact at all in canon, but I like to think that Luthier and Silque would get along regardless. Or if nothing else, she'd take an interest in him after learning that he joined the Deliverance to save his sister.
> 
> It could be platonic as well, but I decided to make it (sorta) romantic, just because I'm a sap like that. Again, apologies - I'll try to write something more ambiguous later on.

* * *

 

The first time they met, it was as members of the Deliverance, fighting to reclaim Zofia from Rigel's invading forces.  
  
Silque had heard of Luthier's reason for joining the army; his sister, Delthea, had been taken captive by the Duma Faithful, her mind altered to guard the sluice gate at the border between Zofia and Rigel. Luthier, after hearing that Alm and his cohort were headed for the border, had pleaded for the Deliverance to save his sister, and had even gone so far as to offer his own services for the task. It was a noble cause indeed, though there was no way to guarantee success when they arrived at the sluice.  
  
To the west of the village that Luthier and Delthea lived in was the Sylvan Shrine - a mysterious dungeon that, while guarded by Terrors and filled with the wrapped corpses of tortured prisoners, also contained artifacts that would be useful in the upcoming battles. Alm had asked Luthier to accompany him in the shrine, knowing that the prowling bonewalkers had a particular sensitivity to magic... and Silque had also come along, of her own insistence, knowing that battling against Terrors often led to injuries that would need to be treated immediately.  
  
By chance, Silque had an opportunity to properly introduce herself to Luthier when they had stopped to rest amidst the bloodied burlap bags that hung from the dungeon cells' ceilings. The man that she met was completely different from the noble soldier that she had expected - he was pragmatic, honing his talent for magic even between battles, so fixated on his task that he almost hadn't noticed her.  
  
Furthermore, his social skills were... lacking, to say the least, and he was alarmed - and more than a little skeptical - when the cleric approached him with the intent of getting to know him better. He hadn't understood the meaning of "small talk", and considered it a waste of his time when there were more important things to be doing, such as practicing magic for the next battle.  
  
Still, Silque reminded herself that Luthier was on a mission. He wanted to save his sister, and that was his reason for joining the Deliverance... so perhaps when Delthea was freed from Tatarrah's clutches, Luthier would be more open to conversation.  
  
And, as the young cleric had been reminded of by Alm's childhood friend Faye, persistence often paid off in these sorts of situations.  
  


* * *

  
  
The battle at the western sluice gate was a twofold success. When Tatarrah fell, Delthea was freed from his clutches, returning to her normal self - and, by some miracle, the eastern gate had already been opened, allowing the Deliverance to thwart Rigel's plan to flood Zofia. They stopped at the border to rest and recuperate before their planned invasion began, and in that time, Delthea joined the Deliverance's ranks, intent on repaying the debt she owed Alm for saving her.  
  
In the aftermath of the battle, Luthier changed as well. Though he was still focused on honing his skills, almost to an obsessive degree, Delthea had reminded him - in her own way - that there were _other_ things to life than simply becoming more skilled. Being a part of an army meant fraternizing with one's peers; something that, according to Delthea, Luthier had never been any good with.  
  
Silque was pleasantly surprised when her second attempt to approach the reclusive mage turned out far better than the first. Though he still understood little of socialization, he _seemed_ more receptive to her inquiries, and - after some prying - he admitted to her that the only friend he knew before joining the Deliverance was a cat who lived in the forest village. It was endearing, in a way; despite his obvious skill and talent when it came to magic, he fell short in a few other fields, to the point where Silque wondered if Luthier's intense focus and persistence would be better applied to other aspects of life.  
  
Though his social skills were lacking, it was clear that Luthier was still a noble soul - perhaps not in the same fashion that Silque had first envisioned him, but in a different and no less admirable way. Recalling her prior experience with Faye, Silque made it her new mission to help Luthier with his lack of companionship.  
  
It didn't hurt any that Delthea _often_ reminded her brother of his social shortcomings... by mocking him, more often than not. Silque had to admit that she envied their relationship, in a way; she had no siblings, and though her piety had led her to connections with many people, there was something _unique_ about the relationship between Luthier and Delthea that made her wish for someone she could call a brother or sister.  
  
In the end, she added the two to her evening prayers, and apologized to the Mother for her sinful thoughts; after all, jealousy was something deeply frowned upon by those loyal to Mila.  
  


* * *

  
  
Though she tried to keep it hidden from the others, Silque felt a painful pang of nostalgia upon crossing into Rigel. She had only told Alm thus far, but Rigel was the country of her birth, and it was where her mother had taken her on a pilgrimage - as one of the Duma Faithful - so long ago. A part of her was relieved to be on such familiar ground, but another reminded her that the Deliverance leaving Zofia meant she was just one step further away from the Earth Mother.  
  
Still, things had changed for the better. The war was no less painful, but the common folk of Rigel welcomed the Deliverance with open arms after they defeated the tyrannical Jerome and Nuibaba, freeing General Ezekiel from Jerome's grasp. It was a far cry from what Silque had expected in returning to her homeland - and it made caring for the ill and wounded much easier, in both a physical and mental sense, which she was deeply grateful for.  
  
There came a moment of respite when Alm and his cohort arrived at the village south of the Dragon's Maw - which had become impassable as of late, hindering their progress. Until the mountain path opened again, waiting was the only option; still, this was a welcome change of pace for the time being, as they didn't have to worry about the Rigelian army either. Casualties aside, the long march through Rigel's rough terrain had left many soldiers weary.  
  
Silque was not one of them, of course. She had grown used to traveling in these conditions before, and it still reminded her too much of the resentment she had held for her mother after she came to live at Novis. Only a few others took notice when she secluded herself in prayer for a few days; Alm was one of them, as was Faye, and - surprisingly enough - Luthier as well.  
  
She soon found out that it was more because Luthier missed her company than anything. He hadn't changed a great deal, but he and Silque had become close enough along the journey that they could call each other friends. A few choice words from Delthea reminded him that maintaining friendship took effort - and so, Luthier took it upon himself to _try_ and return the favor Silque had done him, though he still wasn't very good at conversation.  
  
Despite his shortcomings, Silque found herself grateful for Luthier's attempts at helping her. She recognized that he had his own concerns, and was very happy that he took time out of his rigorous practice regimen to come and speak with her. He admired her dedication to Mila, as well as the magical talent that she possessed - and their conversations often devolved into Luthier complaining about his sister's disregard for her own talent, something which Silque had never taken for granted.  
  
The Mother had blessed her with patience, and she needed it in spades to deal with this strange young man... but as time passed, Silque began to feel that she preferred it this way.  
  


* * *

  
  
Delthea admitted to Silque once that, despite everything, she would be devastated if she never saw her brother again. At the time, it had been more out of concern than anything; though Luthier was cautious enough, he was just as much at risk of becoming a casualty as anyone, and his fixation on proving his worth didn't help matters any - she feared that he would get in over his head and end up dead as a result.  
  
In the end, Luthier survived the war - and even took to the field in the final battle against Duma, as one of Alm's strongest and most trustworthy comrades. However, some time after the final battle, a conversation between him and Silque reminded her of Delthea's fear... and how it might come true, in a different way than she ever imagined.  
  
Luthier had realized, over the course of the war between Zofia and Rigel, that his magical talent had its limits. No matter how hard he trained, he could never even compete with his sister, and his own dark feelings were magnified every time he was reminded of that. The bitterness he felt toward Delthea had always masked his own brand of concern, but jealousy - _of all things_ \- had won out in the end. He'd decided, after the final battle, that there was little point in continuing to pursue his current path.  
  
And, when he had told Silque that he planned to cross the sea, she hadn't missed the way his eyes wandered away from her - how he almost seemed ashamed of himself, for leaving behind his sister and _someone else_. Luthier had never been difficult to read, in spite of his unfaltering inability to communicate with words, and she deduced from his face alone that he had resigned himself to never seeing his dearest friend again.  
  
Silque had told Luthier in turn that, even if he left Valentia, theirs would not be a permanent farewell - and that was when he had broken down, a rare show of pure and genuine emotion from him, as he tugged her into his arms and cried on her shoulder. Though she was shocked at first, she accepted the gesture, as she understood his pain far better than she would have ever admitted; even if they did meet again someday, his absence in her life would leave behind a void that not even the Mother could fill.  
  
They had both figured out, far too late, that their feelings were more than simple _friendship_... but they each had their own paths to walk, which would keep them apart in the end. Still, Silque was no stranger to traveling, and she promised Luthier that when she was done with her mission, she would come and find him - wherever he ended up, and however long it took.  
  
The time they took to hold each other close before their parting was a memory that Silque treasured in her mind, long after the war. Her promise gave her the strength she needed to help those suffering in Rigel, a constant reminder that she still had one more deep wound to mend - and that she had come down with an illness of her own, one which could only be cured if she crossed paths with that eccentric young mage again. It was sinful to even think of, but with every evening she spent in prayer, she _knew_ that Mila would forgive her.  
  
(They met again only a few years later, when Silque traveled to Archanea on a pilgrimage, and she happened across Luthier in Khadein. Even after all that time, he hadn't changed a bit - he was still just as stubborn and willful as ever, though perhaps he _was_ a bit better with words than before. It took some time, but he convinced her to stay with him in Archanea, after she bid her final farewell to her homeland, and - _of course_ \- informing Delthea that her brother was, in fact, alive and well.)  
  


* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> It's short and it's bad but I figure that this nonsense ship probably doesn't deserve anything actually good


End file.
